Contempt towards the US – 6 out of 10 Australians see American influence negatively

Derision or hostility towards the US, spurred by opposition to the Iraq war and resentment, real or imagined, of America’s economic and cultural dominance, continues to spread, widening the disconnect between our political leaders and the electorate, wrote Barry Hing in The Australian (27/8/2007, p. 16).Disdain not yet irreversible: “We may well be approaching a point where our opinions of our most strategic partner will assume an open disdain, if not distrust, for the next few decades,” wrote Hing. “Such a shift is not yet irreversible, but many already see contempt towards the US as normal. From barbecues to professional forums, specious barbs about the US have become commonplace, if not de rigueur. The disruption expected from the traffic restrictions planned for the APEC meeting in Sydney has become the latest club with which to beat the US. Always ignored is the fact that the security blanket will safeguard the delegates of all 21 member countries, not just one.”

Dangers of supercilious attitudes: “The problem is that such supercilious attitudes, because of how they could ultimately influence government policy, will not only undermine Australia’s security over the long term, but also impede the ability of the US – and this is conveniently forgotten, the world’s only humanitarian superpower – to rectify many of the planet’s ills. Most recently, a BBC survey in March found 60 per cent of Australians had a negative view of American influence and only 29 per cent saw it positively,” Hing wrote.